So, now...after trying to pick up a 2000 Wrangler at an auction that went for $3,490 (very close to my budget limit), it needed way to much repair to make it worth it (for me).Now, I'm turning my attention to a CJ5 or 7. I'm finding many of these are WAY more than my budget allows (about 4K).Am I waisting my time?

Well...I found a wacko to sell me the perfect Jeep...in MY budget! I picked up a 1999 Wrangler with 109,000 miles, very nice,very clean; 4-cylinder, soft top. Needs very little body work and the frame is in great shape (My Mechanic inspected and approved it. He also told me if I don't buy it right now, then HE will!)My first Jeep! I'm so happy and so proud!

Hello! I too, am about to buy a Wrangler [mid 90's]! Do you mind telling me what your bargain price was you paid? I am looking at 4000.00 for mine. Higher mileage than yours and older, but it looks and runs sharp. Any thoughts would be welcomed.

We searched for a long time to find the right Jeep at the right price. We also had a wonderful friend help us out who is an Auto-Broker of sorts and deals with car buying and selling all the time.

We traveled from our home in Connecticut; 2 hours South West to New Jersey to look at a CJ. (too expensive) Then we traveled 3 hours back North to Massachusetts to look at another CJ. (Junk) On our way home, we got a call from someone 15 minutes from our house selling a '99 TJ. We bought that one cash on site for $3,500

The most challenging part of the ordeal was sticking to our budget. My experienced friend, Bill, was very helpful. Our budget was between 3,000 and 4,000...not a penny more. You'll find junks with rotted frames for 1,000, 2,000 or even 3,000...and you'll find nicely restored CJ's for 7,8,9K! You'll see some TJ's at $5,000 to $15,000...Stick to your budget!!!! There is one out there!

If your looking for a TJ, I suggest looking in a lot of places, and take your time. Craigslist; local papers; specialized Jeep sites; and keep posting in the blogs, you may find a seller who has your interest in mind.!

I'll speak to my friend, Bill and see if he is willing to help you out (via email and/or phone). (He does have a lot of experience...and connections!) Let me know your contact info and I might be able to put you in touch.

Good luck and have a great holiday.

Ken

PS: The coolest thing about Jeep ownership is the "wave". Check it out! (Jeep owners wave to each other almost always!)

I have a 2001 Jeep Wrangler with a 4.0L engine. I bought it from an individual who had started the process of installing single exhaust headers. He did have the dual oxygen sensors installed into the header where the front 3 and rear 3 cylinders would see the correct sensor. My question and problem is this; if I install both downstream o2 sensors in the single exhaust pipe downstream of the header, will this prevent the computer from regulating fuel enrichment correctly.

My fear is that the oxygen sensors downstream of the header in the comingled exhaust gases will trigger 1/2 of the injectors to add fuel and the other sensor will see the exhaust as too rich and lean out the opposite 3 cylinders.

Is there a fix for this problem or will there be a problem with this setup?

Kermit is still running and finally back in the garage. Had a runin with another Jeep a few years ago and hosed up my front bumper and light hoop a bit, but my friend and I built a custom stinger and grille hoop for it. Also built a rear deck setup that now holds a cargo basket above the tonneau cover. GREAT for holding my recovery gear and cooler and making them easily accessible.

Also got a new passenger fender and hood to fix the messed up ones from my flop a few years ago. Plans this year include a new belly up setup, flat fenders, and an upgraded front cage with reinforced stock cage in back.

TSJAY sold his Thelma Jane TJ a few weeks ago. He lost the love for offroading after Ross Allen (his dog) passed away. He still frequents another site though.

This past year was really busy so I didn't get to play in the dirt as much as I wanted. My one big trip saw my TJ get flooded inside with mud halfway up the back of the tub. Had to totally take the interior out to clean it up and spray out the mud. Fortunately, the amplifiers survived.

My '74 Jeep was good for me in lots of ways. I had the shop weld on some pipes to the front and rear bumpers and kludged together a canoe rack out of pipes. When the wipers failed, I tore into the motor housing, and replaced the rotting gas tank myself. Never was especially handy with cars, but everything is "right there" with a Jeep.

So when I needed better racks for my little Tercel, I had no problem drilling holes in the roof to attach some homemade rack brackets. First thing I did with my new Quest was to screw in a bunch of D rings on the inside to hold cargo out of the way. 9 hay bales inside? No biggie.

The CJ-5 taught me that there's not much use keeping a new car pristine if you want to get some utility out of it. Plus you may get rear-ended any time, so why sweat it?

Somehow I doubt that I'll ever get that much mud in the van, but I do know how to take the seats and carpet out. :shades:

Winches, brush catchers, can holders, radio rigs, lifts and roll bars. Those are the popular mods I can think of off-hand. What else?

Well, it's not like it's a structural alteration. And even Yakima makes brackets intended to be permanently attached to the roof. A little silicone and you're good to go. Safer than a sunroof for avoiding leaks down the road.

C'mon Mac, even my minivan has factory drilled holes in the roof for the (mostly worthless) OEM rack. :-)

I'm looking forward to exchanging posts with my old friends here and making new friends. I see PaulE and Mac24 are still here and good old Steve is still hosting. Hi, you guys! I haven't had a chance to look at many posts yet to see if any others of my old friends are still here.

I had gotten to the point where I was only taking Thelma Jane (my 2001 Sport for those who have come along since I was active on this message board) down to Turkey Bay three or four times a year and she was sitting in the garage for weeks at a time. So, after ordering her from the factory and owning her for 11 years and 10 days, I sold her on 12/18/11. If any of my old friends are still around here, that must be a real shock to you. Everyone knows how I loved my Thelma Jane.

Anyway, I couldn't stand being Jeepless, so I bought a brand new 2012 JK Sport with the "S" order package, a soft top, and a six speed manual tranny.

Unlike Thelma Jane, this Jeep is going to do only very, very mild off roading. I will not allow her to get beat up like Thelma Jane was. This Jeep will be a "mall crawler." That's why I call her "Molly Jane."

I seem you recall you wiping bugs off Thelma Jane when you first got her and had no intentions of wheeling her.

Whether that changes for Molly Jane is irrelevant to me. Just happy to see you back in the Jeep fold. There are ALWAYS spare seats in the IAJ jeep seats if you want to ride along on the other obstacles.

I'm trying to get caught up with the posting but I have been gone so long I doubt if I will read every post that has been made in my absence. I have just been skipping around and I found this post of yours.

So, have you re-Wranglered yet? I sold Thelma Jane, believe it or not, but I have just bought a new 2012 Wrangler Sport to replace her.

Mac, Paul, and anyone else still here from "the good old days:" do you think we can get this forum back to what it used to be? Wouldn't it be nice if we could have lots of posting again? Wouldn't it be good if it became a place where friends congregate and "talk Jeep" like we used to?